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[vvcepheus7]

Hi,

I have a collection videos in mp4/h.264/aac format and these videos have embedded metadata info:

Title
Artist
Genre
Composer
Year
COVER

When I add the videos to MC all information is all recognized except COVER ART. For cover art I need play the video and select a correct frame. Any solution for this?

Also, I observe that when I rate one video with **** the program create a new archive in video source folder with name:
ORIGINALNAME_EXTENSION_JRSidecar.xml

In this file I can read one line that say:
<Field Name="Rating">4</Field>

So, I understand that the rate of each file save in a independent file for each video.
Besides this I observe that if I change title tag of the video this information is not saved into the tag video source. This information is saved always in .xml file.
So if I want update the tags of source video files with this changes it is possible?

Another question it is that if I add this folder (with mp4 and .xml files) for first time to the MC library, the program what information use? the information obtained of embedded in metadata of mp4 files? or the information obtained of xml files?

Thank you for yours replies and sorry for my english, I'm spanish speaker  

[glynor]

I believe the Sidecar files are the "canonical source", but I'm not sure.  However, if you make any tagging changes to the files through MC, it will update both the file tags (in the files) and the sidecar files (the XML) in tandem, so they should really always match.  Perhaps Matt or Yaobing can comment on which of these two data sources "win" if they conflict.  MC's ability to read and write file tags directly in MP4s is quite new, and I'm not sure of the details on this (I'm not even positive that it can write tags in video-containing MP4s yet, or if it is currently just for audio-only MP4s).

The sidecar files are extremely useful because MC stores a LOT of file metadata that can't be easily stored within the file tags themselves (not while conforming to existing specs), and this allows all of this metadata to be portable.  If you move those videos to another machine and import them fresh into MC, so long as you also copy over the sidecar files, MC will automatically import ALL of the metadata you had in MC on the original system.  Likewise, if you delete the files out of MC (but not off the disk) or move them outside of MC (in Windows Explorer, for example), normally MC would "lose" the files and lose all of the metadata associated with them when they're re-imported.  However, so long as you keep those sidecar files with them, when MC re-imports the files it will automatically re-import all of the metadata included in the sidecar file, and they'll just "magically" re-import with all of their tags intact.

The sidecar files are VERY handy.

[vvcepheus7]

Thanks for your reply glynor!

I believe the Sidecar files are the "canonical source", but I'm not sure.  However, if you make any tagging changes to the files through MC, it will update both the file tags (in the files) and the sidecar files (the XML) in tandem, so they should really always match.  Perhaps Matt or Yaobing can comment on which of these two data sources "win" if they conflict.  MC's ability to read and write file tags directly in MP4s is quite new, and I'm not sure of the details on this (I'm not even positive that it can write tags in video-containing MP4s yet, or if it is currently just for audio-only MP4s).

I have tried to change the title tag of a 3GB video from the library of mc and has only been amended. xml file. I used Mp3Tag to check the status of the tags of the video. And the tags of the video not change after the change title name in mc. So I understand that for videos in mp4 the program only works with sidecar files.

I observe that when I add new videos the program not create new sidecar files. MC only create new sidecar files when I rate one video or I change a tag of one video.
However, if I select one frame for cover art of this video, this information, in not saved in sidecar file.

I'll experiment a bit to really understand how this works. I have not yet very clear.

[glynor]

I observe that when I add new videos the program not create new sidecar files. MC only create new sidecar files when I rate one video or I change a tag of one video.

Correct.  It doesn't create the sidecar files until it "needs to" when you've added some sort of tag.  Up until then, MC doesn't need the sidecar file because all of the information it has about the file is already contained within the file itself.  If you want to manually create them, for some weird reason without actually adding any tags to the files, you can use the Right-Click -> Library Tools -> Update Tags from Library tool.

I observe that when I add new videos the program not create new sidecar files. MC only create new sidecar files when I rate one video or I change a tag of one video.
However, if I select one frame for cover art of this video, this information, in not saved in sidecar file.

I'm not really sure how video cover art works in detail, but I'd guess that this information is only stored in MC's database and the normal Cover Art directory (in your home folder unless you moved it).  Cover Art is handled a bit differently from other metadata in MC, but I'm not a cover art wizard, so I can't answer this specifically.

I used Mp3Tag to check the status of the tags of the video. And the tags of the video not change after the change title name in mc. So I understand that for videos in mp4 the program only works with sidecar files.

I thought that was the situation.  They only very recently added the ability to write in-file tags for MP4 audio files.  I believe that the developers indicated that they intend to eventually expand this for video files too, but I don't have the details of the conversations right at my fingertips (which is why I wasn't sure of the status in the first place).  Either way, it doesn't much matter because the sidecar files should always contain more details than could be stored in the file tags themselves (and in the future if this isn't true, and ALL of the metadata can be contained in the file tags in a nice manner, they'll probably turn off the sidecar files for that file type).

[vvcepheus7]

Glynor, you know if it is possible change program directory?

I create a new post but I don't know if this is it possible!
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=63742.0

I need do it because I recover my pc every week with ISO file (via norton ghost). So I will lost the library and the thumbnails if I don't do it! 
This is the "crux" of the question 

[glynor]

Ack!  That's crazy!

I'm sure there is a way to hack it in the registry, but it is certainly not recommended and wouldn't be supported.

You CAN, however, move the library itself out of that directory.  The library is MC's database, and contains all of the file metadata and view customization that MC uses.  This is supported.  You can do this using the Library Management features.  To access these, select Playing Now in the tree.  Under that you should see a section called "Playing from <Your Library Name>" (probably "Here" if you left it alone).  From there, you can add additional libraries and rename the existing ones.  The easiest way to "move" one is clone it (right click on the Library itself in the same tree location and choose "Clone Library").  This will allow you to move the library over to your secondary disk.

You'll also want to check all of the options under Tools -> Options -> File Location.  This allows you to set the default ripping locations for music and videos, the default save location for new images (imported from a camera), the temp file location, the conversion cache (for handheld conversions), and the Library backup location (which is VERY handy in case you have a problem with your database).

However, this won't move the thumbnails directory.  You'll probably need to get into the registry a bit if you really want to do this.  I know it is possible to move the Thumbnails directory using this registry key:

Code: [Select]

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JRiver\Media Center 16\Properties\Thumbnails - Base Path
I've done that in the past to share these thumbnails among multiple computers (way back in the day before the Library Server system handled all of that for you), but it is unsupported and could cause things to break.  You'll need to move the files themselves yourself if you decide to go this route.

I'm not sure if anything else will break if you regularly wipe the [AppData] path.

A MUCH simpler solution for your issue would be to actually move your User profile in Windows.  There are a few ways to do this:
http://www.nezavisim.com/?lg=en&cat=2&scat=8
http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/95/1/How-to-move-the-special-folders-in-Windows-Vista.html
http://www.windows7hacker.com/index.php/2009/05/how-to-change-user-profile-default-location-in-windows-7/
http://www.starkeith.net/coredump/2009/05/18/how-to-move-your-windows-user-profile-to-another-drive/

However, please note this important "gotcha":
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/do-not-move-special-folders-to-the-root-drive/

[vvcepheus7]

aaah thank you!!! I've been all day trying to get someone to answer me this! 

I know that I can move the user profile folder but I can't do it because I don't interest me for any programs 

So I will do it what you say. But only more thing.

I have not yet begun to use MC and therefore my library is still empty. Would not it be better to create a new library rather than clone the main library?

On the other hand, what it means to clone the main library? this means that I have two libraries synchronized between them? I do not mind having them but it does this serve me? It would be more practical to use only a new library?

I guess the program works only with a library. So, if I cloned library What I have to load? the main library? or library cloned?

Clone library is related with changing the directory of the previews?

Now, I'll experiment a little!

Thank you!!

[vvcepheus7]

hello again

I've been testing j river and I think I have some answers.

1 - When you add an video folder to mc, and each video is associated to _JRSidecar.xml file, then the program reads the xml file information before the tag of the video. Therefore the metadata information is added to the library of the files. xml. So mc prior sidecar files.

2 - No need to move the directory of thumbnails in register of windows when you use an ISO of the system (in my case). I use an external program to view the videos (kmplayer) because I think that it is better than the internal video engine of J River. Therefore MC can not create thubnails of the videos. MC so do not use the default database of thumbnails. So what I do is this. I have all the covers of the videos as jpg files, so I add them for each video individually. All covers I have them in a directory of drive D. So when I recovery with my ISO I have no problem with a possible loss of data covers. If you add covers from files the program not save thumbnails in the database of previews.

3 - I created a new library on the D drive which is the default usage. I understand that cloning an old library was not necessary for me.

So I managed to solve the problem. I have written this for if anyone else can be useful.

In the end I bought the program. I think that since now I can't live without MC. I just hope that J river team to improve the recording tags files without xml files support. I also hope that in future the program to read correctly the covers for files embedded in the tag of file, windows media player and iTunes can do it, why can not mc?

Thanks for your explanations glynor, you helped me a lot.